Oct. 6, 2000 - In cool, misty weather on the steps of the state Capitol, the gun-rights group Rocky Mountain Gun Owners officially launched its campaign to defeat Amendment 22, which would require background checks for all gun purchases made at gun shows.

"Today's weather change signifies the beginning of hunting season," said Dudley Brown, the group's executive director. "We're declaring open season on gun control, and there's no bag limit."

Members of Brown's group, the largest gun-rights organization in Colorado, oppose Amendment 22 because they believe the new gun rules would be a step closer to creating a database of gun owners that would eventually be used to take guns away from law-abiding citizens.

"The people pushing this have a far-left bent," Brown said.

The committee pushing the 0.2 percent sales tax for children's programs raised $138,700 in September, half of it from three big donors.

The Denver Broncos Football Club and Bob & Sharon Magness Foundation each gave $25,000, and Land Title Guarantee Co. gave $24,000, according to the most recent campaign finance report, released Thursday. It covers Aug. 31 through Saturday.

The $138,700 is in addition to the $25,100 the Great Futures for Denver's Kids committee had on hand from the previous reporting cycle. The group also received $6,526 in in-kind contributions.

Of the $163,800 total, the committee has spent slightly more than $75,000. Most of the money was spent on postage, yard signs, printing, ads and consultants, including roughly $20,000 to the company of David Cole for running the campaign, the report said.

But the commissioners are opposed to Amendment 21, which would cut property taxes for special districts by $25 each year.

The commissioners' resolution against Amendment 21 said it would "reduce dramatically - and ultimately eliminate - money available for essential services, including fire protection, law enforcement, libraries, schools, highway and mass transit projects, prisons and other special district services like emergency and hospital care, water and soil conservation."

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"To the charter of the city and county of Denver, to limit elected officers to no more than three consecutive fouryear terms of office for all officers elected, appointed or succeeding to office on or after Jan. 1, 2001, thereby lengthening the term limitation set forth in Colorado Constitution by one term."